Major Gear Lust.. Somebody talk me down!

waefre

waefre

Well-known member
Ok so for a long time now I've been an Hvx LEX owner shooter and it's been a great ride. I know there's better cameras out there and even better adapters out there i.e. Letus Ultimate , Blade etc. But when the lighting is right and I have a vague sense of what I'm doing it still makes some pretty phenomenal images. I haven't been in the least tempted over the past couple years by all the DSLR buzz because I know what I still got is better and it works for me. There's no rolling shutter moire, aliasing, high compression, clipping of highlights, overly creamy skin, and just the fact that the whole damn frame jiggles like a bowl of jello every time it moves. All that and you still have to put up with the physical limitations of trying to shoot video on a DSLR. I envy the low light capability but that's a pretty big trade off. No temptation here.

Then suddenly there's a new girl in town; the AF100. She's cute, light, inexpensive, easily pleased by the cheapest of SD cards, has a large sensor and makes gorgeous images. Now I know I'm in trouble. I also know she's not exactly what I need. Her sensor is still smaller causing all my beautiful Zeiss lenses to be cropped. Her color space is not the best. And next year they'll just release a newer better version that takes my P2 cards without question. And yet still I want her.

So there you have it. I want to be content what I've got and wait for what I actually need but I keep finding myself buried in the Af100 forums pouring over clips and discussions. Somebody please talk me down or tell me to be happy or at least to stop whining.
 
Buy the AF100.

you wont be disappointed. plus you can use your current glass from the LEX.
 
You came to the wrong place to be talked out of buying the newest/latest!

But here's the thing -- will you be able to increase your business by getting the newest/latest? If so, it's irresponsible not to get it. If it's just straight-up gear lust, with no real justification behind it, then yeah -- you need to be talked down from that!

And remember this -- (other than the first few months) they're always going to be there. It's not like they're only going to make a couple hundred and then they're gone... they'll be shipping each and every month for years (the HVX200/200A has been on the market for almost five years, and the DVX100/A/B has been on the market for over 8 years, and still going strong). So there's no rush just for gear lust purposes, it's not going anywhere. If what you have is working for you, don't spend money you don't have to. Only upgrade to new equipment when you need it. Or when there's an opportunity that makes it a no-brainer (such as, you'd be the only guy in Caracas with one, and might be able to rent it out enough to pay it off... if that's the case, then heck yeah, get it, because it'll pay for itself!)
 
waefre said:
Ok so for a long time now I've been an Hvx LEX owner shooter and it's been a great ride. I know there's better cameras out there and even better adapters out there i.e. Letus Ultimate , Blade etc. But when the lighting is right and I have a vague sense of what I'm doing it still makes some pretty phenomenal images. I haven't been in the least tempted over the past couple years by all the DSLR buzz because I know what I still got is better and it works for me. There's no rolling shutter moire, aliasing, high compression, clipping of highlights, overly creamy skin, and just the fact that the whole damn frame jiggles like a bowl of jello every time it moves. All that and you still have to put up with the physical limitations of trying to shoot video on a DSLR. I envy the low light capability but that's a pretty big trade off. No temptation here.

Then suddenly there's a new girl in town; the AF100. She's cute, light, inexpensive, easily pleased by the cheapest of SD cards, has a large sensor and makes gorgeous images. Now I know I'm in trouble. I also know she's not exactly what I need. Her sensor is still smaller causing all my beautiful Zeiss lenses to be cropped. Her color space is not the best. And next year they'll just release a newer better version that takes my P2 cards without question. And yet still I want her.

So there you have it. I want to be content what I've got and wait for what I actually need but I keep finding myself buried in the Af100 forums pouring over clips and discussions. Somebody please talk me down or tell me to be happy or at least to stop whining.
Click to expand...

Misery loves company!!! Im in the same boat as you, Been tying to decide if I should sell my current rig and upgrade, or keep my current rig, sleep in the dog house for the next year and get the af100. I do have a t2i, which is good for low light, but Im in love with the same girl you are. I guess it's a sword fight.lol
 
Two years ago, I bought an HPX-170 paired up with an SGBlade while tiring of waiting for the Scarlet to be released. Compensating for light loss, the combo along with some good lenses has produced (and still produces) stunning imagery. Although I'll admit I'm a classic 'gear hound' and drool over some of the AF100 features and the whenever-it-will-be-released Scarlet, I've chosen to really focus on good filmmaking technique to advance my skill set; lighting, blocking, composition, movement, etc.

Until I can truly push my current rig to the point where I feel I've reached it's limitations and it's holding me back in some way, then I feel obligated to continue pushing myself instead. I intend to hold out for as long as possible before throwing in the towel and swapping out gear...
 
Leo you are making a wise choice. And its a good attitude to have. Dont become a whore to the gear.

On the otherhand waefre, look at Barrys point on business. A serious question that needs a serious answer. And that zeiss glass will still look phenomenal with a slight crop, I wouldnt sweat that at all, I know Im not.
 
Leo Versola said:
Two years ago, I bought an HPX-170 paired up with an SGBlade while tiring of waiting for the Scarlet to be released. Compensating for light loss, the combo along with some good lenses has produced (and still produces) stunning imagery. Although I'll admit I'm a classic 'gear hound' and drool over some of the AF100 features and the whenever-it-will-be-released Scarlet, I've chosen to really focus on good filmmaking technique to advance my skill set; lighting, blocking, composition, movement, etc.

Until I can truly push my current rig to the point where I feel I've reached it's limitations and it's holding me back in some way, then I feel obligated to continue pushing myself instead. I intend to hold out for as long as possible before throwing in the towel and swapping out gear...
Click to expand...

I'm with this guy.

My main dilemma has been the anticipation of a quick depreciation of my SGBlade and HMC150 as soon as the AF100 comes to market. I know that I could probably recoup more of my investment if I sold it now rather than after the launch.

Apart from some new novelty features (SDI out, variable frame rates, potentially 800 lines vs 600, 1080@60p) I don't feel like the AF100 is a significant of an upgrade for me over an adapter rig. And as a film student, this sentiment is compounded by the release of that film Monsters by Gareth Edwards, which was shot on an EX3 + Letus Ultimate rig.

It's so easy to get caught up in the latest gear, particularly when hanging out on this forum.
 
Thanks for all the advice, and the enabling. It's nice to hear some other people are in he same boat. The business aspect is honesly one of m biggest considerations and there are just a lot of unknowns. Im sure I could convince some clients to rent it but they would probably be renting my HVX oherwsie so it might not really be putting me in a new market. On he other hand it might be a good package to market more towards the indie films makers. I think one of the biggest things holding me back is that I don't see it as a good substitute for the hvx so it would probably be a second camera. Loads of my commercial work sill needs that wide everything in focus run and gun kind of camera. For my personal projects he LEX is still plenty for me too.
 
I have good news for all Adaptor rig owners.

First of all, the Adaptor route is and remains the only professional low budget solution out there. Until further notice, the adaptor solutions have allowed for Cinema productions that have a proven track record. That is something one should not take for granted. The modularity is another great advantage as there are as many different rigs as there are users. In that respect, the capacity of changing one part of the rig while keeping the rest is unprecedented in video history.

As far as DSLR is concerned, anybody who is half way professional will tell you the DSLR solution has many problems and having to work around these problems takes up most of your energy. It is not and has never been a professional solution. At best it is a gimmick. The only reason everybody got so excited about it was because of its incredibly low price and huge target audience. However, that's were it stops. So all those who did not invest in DSLR, congratulations you saved money.

The upcomming Panasonic and Sony solutions are the first professional large sensor low DOF solutions since adaptors. HOWEVER, the image will probably not look the same: Specifically: The DOF will be larger and you will not get the GG diffusion which creates a softer and more filmlike mood with adaptors. I discussed it with Jens at Zacuto who also believes the adaptor may live on. The adaptor image has this vintage look people may be going for years from now. If you look at the audio world, while it is no longer being manufactured, the U47 microphone which is decades old is still one of the top microphones. The same can be said about the Neve pre-amp. Bottom line, don't let go of your vintage equipment. :) For making films the adaptor solution is totally modular. This means if Sony releases a 5K camera tomorow, you will be able to keep on working with your adaptor well into the 22nd century.... :)
 
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So you've changed your mind now? In your latest thread you said that adapters are over because of the AF 100?
 
I believe adapters still have a place in the rental world because not everyone is going to sell there cameras right now and run out and buy a RED, SLR, or AF100. There is a lot of HVX's and HPX's out there that have the 422 color benefit over the SLR's and could benefit from an adapter on certain projects.

Here is an example of a short I shot last summer with my 170/Ultimate combo.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0z0xFk6Ca7E

Also I am selling my Ultimate if you are interested. PM me.
 
I am buying an AF100 and a Nanoflash. I thought about keeping the Letus for rental preposes since it still has a lot of value in the rental world, but decided against it since my market is flooded with Letus Extremes.
 
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